Italian Wedding Soup

The first time I ever had this soup was at East Side Mario's and from then on every time I ate there I had to have the soup. Then on one of boyfriend's family ski trips (as mentioned in the previous post) Aunt Elsa made this soup for lunch. This recipe has been adapted from hers.

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup acini de pepe noodles (or other small noodles like orzo or stars)
12 cups chicken or beef stock
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained.

Meatballs
1 1/2 lbs ground beef or turkey
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, chopped
handful chopped fresh parsley (can use dried)
salt and pepper

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a large soup pot.
Add stock, spinach and noodles. Bring to boil.

In the meantime combine all ingredients for meatballs in bowl. Roll into bite sized ball and drop into boiling soup. Continue to cook for 15 minutes over medium low heat.

Serve with fresh grated parmigiana cheese.